The Contractor's Google Business Profile Guide

For most contractor searches, the three map results at the top get the majority of the clicks and calls. That's Google Business Profile, it's free, and most contractors have it about 40 percent filled out.

This is the highest return per hour of any marketing work available to a contractor. Nothing else is close.

Get the categories right

Your primary category matters more than any other single setting. A roofer should be 'Roofing Contractor', not 'Contractor'. Be specific.

Add secondary categories for everything else you genuinely do — but don't add categories for work you don't perform, because it drags relevance down across the board.

Fill in the services section

Almost nobody does this. Under each category you can list individual services with descriptions. Add every service you offer, each with two or three real sentences.

This directly influences which searches you show up for, and it's completely free.

Set the service area correctly

If you travel to customers, set service areas rather than showing a street address. List the towns you actually serve — not the entire state, which dilutes everything.

Photos, constantly

• Add photos every single month, not once at setup
• Real jobs, real crew, real trucks — geotagged from the jobsite is better
• Before and after pairs perform especially well
• Cover photo and logo should be current and sharp

Post weekly

Google Posts show up in your listing and signal activity. A recent job, a seasonal reminder, a service you want to push. Two sentences and a photo is enough.

Consistency matters far more than polish here.

Reviews are the engine

This is how our family business passed 370 reviews: ask every single customer, in person, at the moment the work is done and they're happy. Not by email three days later.

Then respond to every review, good and bad. A calm, professional response to a bad review sells better than the bad review costs.

Q&A — answer your own questions

You can ask and answer questions on your own profile. Do it. Post the ten questions you get on every call and answer them properly.

If you leave it blank, someone else will eventually answer wrong on your behalf.

The weekly routine

• Post once
• Add two or three photos
• Respond to every new review
• Answer any new questions
• Check that hours, phone, and services are still accurate

Fifteen minutes a week. Most of your competitors won't do it, and that's exactly why it works.